On a family vacation outside Cork, Ireland this summer, Michael Kovach suddenly felt the classic symptoms of a heart attack: cold, clammy skin and severe pressure on his chest. "I actually died, and they shocked me back to life," recalls Kovach, who was rushed by ambulance to Cork University Hospital.

In the furniture delivery business, it’s called “white glove” treatment: workers deliver a new piece of furniture, remove the old and leave your place spotless. That’s the analogy David Pate uses for the way AirMed International handled a much more important delivery – his pregnant wife Cassandra.

“I felt very comfortable and confident with everything that the team was doing the whole way,” Pate said.

It’s often when things don’t go exactly as planned that we learn the most about people. Jennifer Swinehart certainly feels that way about the AirMed International crew that flew her from China to Ohio, with an unexpected delay in Tokyo.

Air ambulance is the most useful in emergency cases or where urgent medical intervention is required. Under these circumstances air ambulance transport cost is often the least of the worries. According to AAMS (The Association of Air Medical Services), almost 30% of the population in U.S relies on air ambulance transport to access urgent medical care. In locations where advanced medical care is not available it, becomes an impending need.